Ishtiyaq Ahmed
Srinagar, March 31(KINS): A 10-year-old boy was tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday with family alleging hospitals authorities delayed treatment.
According to the father of the boy, his son had hugged a Tableegi Jamaat member at Shaheed-e-Milat masjid Eidgah in Srinagar on March 21 and for at least a week he showed no symptoms. Suddenly, the boy complained of high fever on March 28. Knowing the reality, the father took his son to SMHS hospital, one of the Covid-designated hospitals in Srinagar.
On prescription the doctors wrote, “Handshake with Covid patient, contact with Covid patient seven days before. C/o cough and fever. Shift to CD hospital.”
From there the father of boy claimed that he was referred to CD Hospital Srinagar.
As per the prescription of Chest Diseases hospital: “Handshake with Covid positive patient seven days back. Due to non-availability of beds we are referring the patient to JLNM Rainawari. Advice Covid-screening.”
At JLNM, the doctors who attended the poor boy wrote on his prescription, “Due to high possibility of Covid 19 infection and flu symptoms, high possibility of Covid-19 infection. Case discussed with MS/principal GMC Srinagar. Patient referred to SKIMS Soura for screening and further management.”
When he was taken to SKIMS Soura, there he as per prescription was advised doctors that he should stay in “home quarantine for two weeks.”
All the prescriptions are available with the KINS.
According to family sources of the boy, all family members barring his father, who is elderly, have been put under quarantine. “The boy’s father has been begging the doctors to take samples of his son for testing, but nobody listened to him,” said a relative.
After KINS exclusively reported the ordeal of father and his son on March 29, a medical team reached his Eidgah residence with an ambulance on March 30 and admitted him in SKIMS, Soura where his tests were done which came positive on March 31. “Isn’t this a negligence,” the family member asked.
“There is a sheer negligence. We fear that our entire family might have been infected because we were living together with my son. I appeal the government to hold a probe and take action against guilty officials for their negligence,” father of the boy told KINS over phone.
